Denver to Genesco - Day 6

Alarm. Snooze. Alarm. Snooze. Alarm, finally get up. Jay once again retrieved the car. A little breakfast, pack a few remaining things, say our goodbyes to Charlie and we were on the road again. Our next destination, Des Moines, Iowa or Davenport if we were feeling really advantageous.

With classic rock blaring on the stereo we headed down the 76 East to the 80, making Colorado a distant memory. We crossed over into Nebraska, making good time. Nebraska didn't have much to offer other than endless fields, bales of hay, cows galore and the occasional pioneering museum.

Every time we pass a car bearing a California plate I felt as if we were having a brief road encounter with kindred spirits. A little sad, but also comforting to know that like-minded folks could be within arms length.

I do have to give a shout out to the little town of Alda, apparently the birthplace of Kool-Aid. Being famous for cavities and crazy sugar highs must be something to be proud of. Good times.

With no other choices but Grandma Max’s Trucker Diner (didn’t look very stomach friendly) we stopped for more fast food delights at Arby’s. I was having visions of “Super Size Me” like episodes. In fact, after all that fast food, my chest actually started to feel tight. What does a girl have to do to get some organic produce on the road??? Apparently, too tall of an order for this Midwestern state. Bush country?

It was now my turn to drive; something I dreaded, but knew would have to come sooner or later. I am not a big fan of driving, to put it mildly. Jay gingerly coaxed me into the driver’s seat. I took a deep breath, started the car, and set out to face one of my fears. Looking to make Nebraska also a distant memory, we passed through Omaha and into Iowa. On the Nebraska/Iowa border, separated by the Missouri river, we passed an outcropping of riverboat casinos. Apparently they skirt the no-gambling law because they are on the river. A little bit of Vegas in the Midwest.

As we delved into Iowa, the flat road became rolling hills and open fields became green grass and trees o’plenty. I’m still behind the wheel trying to push it as far as I can to give Jay a decent rest, white knuckles and all. It’s getting to be that time for a refueling stop. We were on the watch for "gas next exit" markers. We agreed to skip Waio with the promise of several towns to come. We soon discovered that massive road construction was in process and it unfortunately blocked us from taking the next exit. No fear, so we thought, the next town was close. But no, that was blocked as well, and the next, and the next. The dreaded orange light was surely not far from popping up. Not again! We were both holding our breath at this point. We were unmistakable, in the middle of nowhere and the clouds above us were starting to look as if they were threatening imminent rain.

Like a beacon of hope, the town of Anita appeared over the crest of the hill. The sign told us to take a right at the bottom of the exit and proceed down the road for 3 miles. Now, take into consideration, that there was no indication of what sort of amenities Anita had to offer. This was a crapshoot. As we sat at the stop sign, contemplating our chances of finding what we so needed, those clouds delivered on that threat. The sky seemed to instantly open up and the flood ensued. It was POURING!! Great, now we were really screwed. I decided to give Anita a shot.

Visibility down to 10 feet, with a firm grip on the steering wheel and my face as close to the windshield as possible, I headed toward town. Eager to resolve our current predicament, I guess my speed rose to uncomfortable levels. Nervous beyond nervous, but not wanting to distract me from my task at hand, Jay began to whisper repeatedly, "please slow down, please slow down". Did I mention that driving is not my strong suit?

We reached the edge of Anita, its welcome sign calling her a "whale of a town". Let's hope so! A short way down Main Street we spotted a gas station. Woo hoo! We are saved! We pulled into the station. No attendant, for that matter not a soul in sight, even better these gas pumps were circa 1971. Amazingly, there was a credit card console bearing a sign that boasted 24-hour pumps. OK, this might work after all. Swipe, enter pump #. Denied! "Pump is down, try later". We tried #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, even the diesel for posterity's sake. All with the same result. This can't be happening to us! I felt like crying. I wondered to myself if is it possible that this tiny town could have a hotel? We were running out of options. Jay was pissed. Trying to stay positive, I suggested that we drive a few minutes more and see if this was a two-station town.

Doubtful we got back into the Saabaru. I crossed all my fingers and toes. That must have worked because, there it was, the best thing I had seen all day . . . Casey's General Store / Gas Station!!! And it was open, with live people. With a full tank and a little chocolate to calm our nerves, we were back on track. This time Jay relieved me of my driving duties and took the wheel. Probably was a good idea at this point : )

Don't forget the storm, we certainly couldn't. It was reaching biblically proportions. The rain was monsoon style and lightening soon commenced. This was literally the most insane lightening I had ever seen. It was beautiful, yet alarming. Appearing every 2 minutes and lasted at least four hours. I tried not to get too nervous, but couldn't help thinking about our bikes perched atop our vehicle like sirens calling the bolts of electricity our way. Fun, fun, fun!

Dark had fallen and our bellies need to be filled. Des Moines was our next stop. Having no knowledge of this city, we opted for Outback Steakhouse. I can't believe I am writing this, but a welcome upgrade from Arby's shack of grease. Jay got to watch some baseball; I got to order a salad, ACTUAL greens. A funny side note, apparently they had just raised the salad prices from $2 to $4 and the waiter couldn't stop apologizing. I kept thinking to myself, "Do you know that I coming from San Francisco and on my way to New York City?”

Baseball and dinner did Jay well, because he decided to continue on. Past Des Moines, past Davenport, and into Illinois. The rain persisted and the lightening was going strong. Driving past massive trucks in that kind of storm couldn't be scarier. If you want to see me turn pale, that would be one way to do it.

Finally tired of braving those trucks in that storm, Genesco, Illinois looked like the perfect spot to lay our heads. It was near midnight and we had made good ground. Super 8 bound, we headed downtown. Checked in, brushed teeth, and passed out within 20 minutes.